It could be that she is being sincere, but that does not mean her choice to make them now is not cynical

Just how stupid does Melania Trump think we are? On Wednesday, my colleagues at the Guardian published a leaked excerpt of the former first lady’s memoir, in which the Slovenian-born former model and Donald Trump’s third wife claims to be passionately pro-choice. The leak comes just a month before November’s presidential election, a contest in which Trump’s hopes of returning to the White House are severely threatened by voter anger over the 2022 reversal of Roe v Wade, and the suffering of women caused by sadistic abortion bans across the country.

In her memoir, Mrs Trump speaks of abortion rights as a matter of women’s dignity and fundamental freedom. “It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” she wrote. She later reiterated the sentiment in a short video posted to Truth Social, her husband’s social media platform.